Dispatches from the Culture Wars

I was listening during this exchange and can tell you why Beck went apeshit. It was her assertion that he was completely fine with the bailouts under a Republican administration that pulled the trigger. That comment made it apparent that she has no idea of Beck's show, politics or positions.

He is not a regular yeller, and was actually hoarse the next couple days on the radio.

As to why anyone listens? Beck is entertaining. I laughed my ass off when he went apeshit.

Posted by: Jerry | July 20, 2009 11:07 AM

Hmm, do Germans and French people come here to the US for treatment? Germany and French supposedly have the best socialized medical systems.

Posted by: Adrienne | July 20, 2009 11:13 AM

I work at a media firm that summarises and collates radio, including talkback radio. This doesn't sound surprising or unusual to me at all. Which disturbs me a little.

Posted by: Matty Smith | July 20, 2009 11:33 AM

Beck Lost his mind? He had a mind to loose? This has to be the most paranoid jerk on the radio and television. Glenn Beck is a fear monger and nothing more. Everything he says is suspect. If he told me the sky was blue, I would feel compelled to run outside and check.

Why did he yell at the caller? Because he lacks self control and is an abusive jerk with a microphone.

Posted by: seeing eye chick | July 20, 2009 11:56 AM

Jerry (#2) - stated that "He [Beck] is not a regular yeller,..."
Perhaps Beck's Ol' Yella, and we all know how that worked out. ;) - DJ

Posted by: DingoJack | July 20, 2009 12:15 PM

I saw Beck once on CNN a few years ago (once was enough), and was reminded of a saying my friend Mario has about certain people. Mario would shake his head and say wonderingly, "That guy believes his own resume!"

Posted by: JimV | July 20, 2009 12:22 PM

I wonder if Beck is even aware that some Americans travel to Thailand for elective surgery. They can combine the hospital trip with a vacation, and still pay less than they would if they had it done the the USA.

Posted by: Mark Duigon | July 20, 2009 12:38 PM

Re Mark Dulgon

There is also, apparently, a growing industry in India catering to Americans looking for medical bargains. This was the subject of a recent novel by the novelist Robin Cook, who is also a board certified ophthalmologist, in which the proprietors of a US medical conglomerate hatch a scheme to sabotage the Indian hospitals who cater to American patients.

Posted by: SLC | July 20, 2009 12:49 PM

Wouldn't a more accurate title be, "Glenn Beck Remains Apeshit"?

Posted by: Ranson | July 20, 2009 12:53 PM

He absolutely goes off on a caller over healthcare, literally screaming incoherently at her and finally telling her to get off his phone and calling her a pinhead. O'Reilly would be proud.

I never thought I'd say it, but that's actually insulting to Billo. Beck's tantrum makes Billo's most crazed, spittle-infused outbursts look downright cool and reasoned.

Why the hell does anyone listen to this nut?

Because the vast majority of his listeners, like himself, have the emotional maturity of three-year-olds. They know no reason or argument, they know no nuance or shades of gray in issues. All they know is "It's my way or the highway," and if they don't get said way (i.e. their "arguments" are trumped by on-air callers such as Kathy), they literally throw tantrums and scream, call people names, or resort to sniveling sarcasm. Anyone who's spent even an hour around a young child ought to recognize the uncanny similarities.

Posted by: Sadie Morrison | July 20, 2009 12:57 PM

I long ago worked a 12 hour shift welding and brazing in a small metal shop near Philadelphia. The foreman had a radio on all the time and a guy named Joel A Spivack was on every day during my shift. He talked sports, politics, whatever, then took calls and managed to insult nearly every caller. Some even agreed with him. Didn't matter as he had a quick wit and a ready insult for everyone. It wasn't like you didn't know what kind of reception you'd get on that show. You called in. Spivack listened until HE was done and then he let you have it. He was very popular. Sort of a Beck prototype. I cannot for the life of me remember his political leaning but I assume right wing by the time (1970) and audience.

Posted by: MikeMa | July 20, 2009 1:23 PM

Glenn Beck = Andy Kaufman.

Posted by: Dan DeLeon | July 20, 2009 2:41 PM

Andy Kaufman was a brilliant, troubled comedian who died before he got a chance to work out all of the kinks in his routine. Ditto for Bill Hicks. Glen Beck, in addition to being a fraud and a major league asshole, is less funny than death.

Posted by: democommie | July 20, 2009 4:23 PM

The real Wack job is Pres Obama, this elephant eared goof is always in your face.

Well, you know, he is the President. Presidents have this habit of being on the news a lot. And in the papers. And covered on magazines, etc. If you really want to get away from Obama, stop watching and reading the news.

And what is European "styled" socialism? Socialism wearing the latest Milanese fashions?

Posted by: Adrienne | July 20, 2009 5:23 PM

The real Wack job is Pres Obama, this elephant eared goof is always in your face.

The really nice thing about the combination of the Internet and wingnuts is that they remind me of my youth. Their brand of reasoned, nuanced, and informed political argument takes me back to the playgrounds of kindergarten.

Posted by: D. C. Sessions | July 20, 2009 5:27 PM

Glenn Beck = Andy Kaufman

The real Wack job is Pres Obama, this elephant eared goof is always in your face. The HELL with European styled Socialism.

Posted by: Paul Lundgren | July 20, 2009 5:38 PM

Glenn has cancer?

Well, he's definitely malignant.

Posted by: T. Bruce McNeely | July 20, 2009 7:26 PM

The HELL with European styled Socialism

Posted by: Taz | July 20, 2009 8:45 PM

Bah, left off this part.

Paul Lundgren :

That's the sort of thing that moderate voters got good and tired of and has gotten Republicans thrown out on their asses. We don't want name-calling, we want a return to the merits of a given policy. And you and Beck and all the rest of the windbags aren't giving it to us, therefore we don't take you seriously.

Well you're not going to get it. That's fag talk.

Posted by: tincture | July 20, 2009 9:48 PM

Tincture:

I think that pretty much says it. The shittoheads that listen to Beck, Hannity, O'Reilly, et al, are somehow convinced that if they can keep the unwashed masses from getting medical/health care that they will all be able to have the best of the facilities and the providers. I very much doubt that I'll ever see the inside of the Mayo or Sloan-Kettering or the rest of the hospitals for the rich and famous, but I'm cool with that. I'm fairly certain that I will die of something that might not kill a rich fuck, but I'm okay with that too. I'm just not at all okay with them saying it's okay for everybody else to die so they can what they want, especially since they'll be getting it anyway.

Posted by: democommie | July 20, 2009 11:01 PM

Look, many here have claimed that they want an end to name calling and they want republicans to behave in a civilized manner ECt. But in the same paragraphs you use words like shitheads and fuckin moron. Give me a break people! I agree there's a serious lack of respect for any opinion other than what any given talkshow host wants to here and many of their attitudes are made of rotton filth, but were in this economic mess because we have absolutely no balance between government control and free capitolism. People can't afford health care because doctors and or healthcare providersexpect to make outrageous profits. There is no government regulation to keep things from gettin way out of hand. We are at an extreme. So why on earth do we want to move to the other extreme?! We will only trade the problems we have for different ones. What's more is why do we attack tv and radio hosts giving them more attention instead of discussing and debating the real issue

Posted by: Mendel | July 21, 2009 1:01 AM

Beck's actually not the craziest main-stream right wing talk show host. Based on my observations, it goes something like this, in descending order of insanity:
1. O'Reilly (occasionally makes a point that, while not good, is at least somewhat connected to reality.)
2. Sean Hannity (Insane, but polished enough that he at least sounds sort of sane. Also, he mostly just toes the Republican part line, which occasionally coincides with a slightly defensible position.)
3. Limbaugh (occasional bursts of outright lunacy, but usually just sticks to being mean-spirited and stupid)
4. Beck (always stupid, insane perhaps half the time, says one jaw-droppingly stupid thing a show, cries a lot)
5. Micheal Savage (unabashedly mean-spirited and horrible, lots of idiotic conspiracy theories, claims all gays are rapists, etc.)

However, if you're willing to go a little more fringe than Savage, you can find absolute batshit madness that makes any claim that even the Savage horror is the worst look stupid. Matthew Hill, the News and Views Assholes, and many others, most featured on the Information Radio Network. Openly embracing not just end-times prophecy, but all that stuff about the UN or catholic church being satanic, these fellows are hard to top.
My favorite moment from the IRN cesspit came when someone wrote the News and Views people a letter claiming that their constant obsession with and demonization of homosexuals was only explicable by repressed homosexuality, and Chuck or Larry responded by calling the writing a "wimp" and "pansy," saying that he was married, and further stating that his wife could beat the author up. I'm not sure how you're supposed to respond to someone calling you gay, but clearly highlighting how manly your wife is isn't the way to go.

Posted by: Awesome McCool | July 21, 2009 1:10 AM

I agree, Awesome. Short of Ann Coulter (and even that's debatable), Michael Savage is probably the craziest, most reprehensible of all the "mainstream" right-wing pundits, and it's a shame that he's not called out more often than he is.

Posted by: Sadie Morrison | July 21, 2009 1:24 AM

People can't afford health care because doctors and or healthcare providersexpect to make outrageous profits

You forgot the insurers. They are an added layer of bureaucracy that is more expensive and wasteful while being less responsive to its customers than a government bureaucracy would be. Do you really, honestly think that whoever runs a national health care system in the US would make 15 million dollars a year, with golden parachute options as he drives the company/agency into the ground?

Not on your fucking life. The Postmaster General of the US manages more resources and employees than just about any corporation in America. In any other business he would pull down a ten million+ salary. Because he's a quasi-federal employee, the government decides his salary, so he makes about $265K, and created a shitstorm of controversy when he got another $535K in perks while the USPS was hurting. Even at $800K of pay and comp, that's still a fraction of what most major corp CEOS make. And then there are all the corporate officers and the like who have to get big chunks of money as well, on down the line, while their counterparts in government get fractions of that amount.

The reality is that the savings on executive pay packages alone would reduce medical costs to the benefit of every American, from day one.

And don't faint from the language. Plain speaking is just that--plain speaking. Sometimes adults use it. That's how things are.

Posted by: Aquaria | July 21, 2009 5:03 AM

OK, the role of the State is relevant to the argument, but the idiots you call commentators wouldn't know Socialism (whether of the Marxist or any other variety) if it bit them in the cliché.

That's why sane and/or educated people aren't making that comparison.

Posted by: Ranson | July 21, 2009 7:55 AM

Many of the people that post here are just pathetic. About 3/4 of the people here piled on Glenn Beck about what an idiot he is (many lumped in Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, etc., too) and most didn't say even a word about the issue of health care, which Beck was ranting about. Do any of you have a reason for disagreeing with him, or is your opinion that he is an idiot just supposed to be taken as some sort of self-evident truth?

I saw a great quote that applies very aptly to many on the left:

"The greatest obstacle to discovering the shape of the earth, the continents, and the oceans, was not ignorance - it was the illusion of knowledge." - Daniel Boorstin

I don't think I've ever been on any blog where so many people thought they were so brilliant and knew so little of substance. I can actually post a looooong list of all the stuff I've studied over the years, yet consistently I am bashed as the stupid and ignorant one. Not that most lefties care about facts, but there are a few that are absolutely irrefutable:

1) Government health care will lead to rationing. It is undeniable that government has limited resources, therefore the only way they can control costs is by controlling access. If you like government bureaucrats deciding who gets what and when, then move to Britain. Rationing is par for the course there.

2) We have no money. The US is broke and on the road to bankruptcy. Obama is making promises he cannot possibly keep because we can't even keep the promises we've already made. Like the Prescription Drug Benefit that Bush passed, the health care bill will result in far higher costs than advertised.

3) Taxes and debt will increase to pay for this, which will be a drag on the economy for years.

4) Providers will exit the medical field. Doctors are already fed up with the headaches of dealing with government health care agencies and are exiting the field. One of the ways Obama wants to control costs is by cutting payments to providers. Would you be interested in taking a pay cut on your job? I expect that doctors would not either. This is already happening in Canada. In some provinces, people have a hard time finding doctors because fewer people even want to be doctors. The pay sucks, and I don't blame them. It probably also sucks dealing with the government all the time. Would you want to have to work closely with government agencies like the DMV or Social Security every day? I wouldn't. I hate dealing with them on the occasional basis that I do.

Don't let facts get in the way of your blind ideology, but government health care will absolutely suck if it gets passed, and it will push the US closer to it's final fiscal crisis. I can't believe the utter stupidity of ramping up spending when we are already so far in the red and facing the enormous costs in coming years for Social Security and Medicare. The current administration (as well as the last one) are a disgrace. It is utter insanity to think that we can continue to pile on debt year after year with no consequences. All they're doing is buying more votes and power with our tax dollars and that of future generations. It really is a complete disgrace.

Me, the stupid, ignorant, conservative guy just offered ten times the substance in this post than just about any other post on this thread. Pathetic.

Posted by: mroberts | July 21, 2009 9:56 PM